Tunnel of Lemon Bundt Cake

In 1966, a woman named, Ella Helfrich, took second place in the annual Pillsbury Bake-Off with her recipe for Tunnel of Fudge Cake.  She incorporated a box of Double-Dutch Chocolate Icing in the cake which produced a fudgy center reminiscent of under cook brownies...and it was delicious.  My sister first baked this and brought it to my mom's for one of our family get-togethers.  An overnight success with more than 200,000 requests for the recipe, that didn't even win the grand prize!  Several years ago, Pillsbury stop producing the boxed icing--reasons unknown, but not to worry there are several recipes out there that recreate this incredible cake with it's fudge-like center and that's what inspired me today.

Lemon was one of my mother's favorite flavors...next to chocolate and since I just bought a bag, I decided to experiment with an idea that's been floating around in my head.  Have you ever had one of those?  With just a few changes, I was able to recreate a tunnel of lemony filling that resembles a curd and, furthermore, there is no yellow food coloring or photo touch up on the color of this cake.  The golden yellow colour comes from lemons and eggs!

Tunnel of Lemon Bundt Cake
1 3/4 cup (3 sticks + 6T) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
zest of 2 lemons
1 T Lemon Juice Powder
6 large eggs
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 3/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 cup Lemon Bits

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with a baking spray and set aside.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy--about 5 minutes.  Add the zest and Lemon Juice Powder and mix once more.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as needed.

Add the confectioners' sugar gradually while the mixer is running on Speed #3.  Scrape down sides once more and remove the bowl from the stand.

Stir in the flour and Lemon Bits, mixing thoroughly to combine.

Spoon batter into the prepared bundt pan.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

 Because the center is "soft," normal testing methods of using a wooden skewer won't work.  Look for the cake to start pulling away from the sides of the pan.  Remove from the oven and leave in the pan for 90-minutes.  Yes, that's 1 1/2 hours!!

After the time, turn the cake out onto the serving plate.  Allow to cool completely (about 1 hour more) before cutting into it. The original Tunnel of Fudge did have an glaze, so I made one too:

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
juice of 1 lemon (about 3 to 4 T)
2 tsp. light Karo Syrup

Drizzle the glaze over the cake and serve.

See the tunnel of luscious lemon curd! 

Mission complete!  Now, whether I feel like chocolate or lemon...I have a recipe to satisfy that craving. Enjoy!